Pad for treating corns and the like



Jan. 23,, 1951 BRAHMAN 2,539,115

PAD FOR TREATING CORNS AND THE LIKE Filed MaIGh 19, 1949 IN VEN TOR.

BY 4 p W 15924-14 5 L 1 Philip R. Braclznzarc Patented Jan. 23, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,539,115 PAD FOR TREATING CORNS AND THE LIKE Philip R. Brachman, Chicago, Ill.

Application March 19, 1949, Serial No. 82,344

2 Claims.

This invention relates to pads for treating corns, bunions and similar sensitive areas on human toes and for protecting the afflicted areas from pressure and rubbing by or against the shoe or, as the case may be, an adjacent toe, such pads being hereinafter sometimes referred to as corn pads.

An object of the invention is the provision of a novel and improved pad of such construction that a simple manipulation of the pad will adapt it to be applied to an ailiicted toe and removably to secure itself in place without necessitating the use of an adhesive or bandage and that, properly applied, will include a spacer portion extending from adjacent one side of the afflicted area in a direction away from that area to space such contacting surfaces as the adjacent toe or, as the case may be, shoe portion therefrom and another spacer portion at the opposite side of the afflicted toe extending in the opposite direction tending to counteract the force, sometimes deforming, exerted on the toe as a result of the growth of a corn and shielding against corn inducing pressures that portion of the opposite side of the afflicted toe and the adjacent toe, if any, where a corn is likely to grow, during the treatment of the corn at the other side of the toe.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such a novel pad which, when applied to an afilicted toe, will protect the corn against painful pressure and rubbing by or against an adjacent toe or, as the case may be, shoe portion without covering or surrounding the corn with material which has hitherto been intended to shield against or to absorb the annoying pressure or rubbing, but which in use sometimes, due possibly to packing under the pressure, causes irritation of one or both of the afllicted and adjacent toes and does not relieve the pressure or rubbing at the side of the toe opposite that afflicted with the corn.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the ensuing description which, when taken with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing wherein the same reference characters respectively designate the same parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a pad embodying some of the features of the invention and shows the pad in the condition in which it is furnished the user or, in other words, before the manipulation of the pad just preceding application to an afliicted toe;

Figs. 2 and 3 are similar views showing oppoits major axis.

site faces of the novel corn pad or, in other words, the pad of Fig. 1 after manipulation, readyin it for application to an afilicted toe;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken longitudinally through the pad of Fig. 1 substantially along the lines 4-4 thereof;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the corn pad shown in Fig. 2 taken substantially along the lines 5-5 thereof;

Fig. 6 is a cross-section taken longitudinally through the corn pad of Fig. 2 substantially along the lines 66 thereof on a largerscale; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of a human foot showing the novel corn pad in use.

Illustrative of the invention as shown in the accompanying drawing, particularly Figs. 1 and 4 thereof, a pad ll of suitable thickness is cut or otherwise formed preferably of soft wool felt or other soft and pliable felt-like material and of ovate, elliptical, or other suitable shape. The size of the pad is determined to some extent by the size of the afiiicted toe, the pliability and elasticity of the material employed providing sufficient adjustability in most cases to adapt it for application to toes of different sizes. As a practical matter, it is made of a width and length respectively equal to or somewhat less than the width and length of the great toe.

Near one of its ends, the pad i l is provided witn a slit [2 therethrough extending transversely of The transverse slit I2 is bisected by the major axis of the pad and extends along a line intersecting that axis about onequarter of the distance between its ends.

Between the transverse slit l2 and the more remote of the two ends of the pad an arcuate substantially semi-circular slit I3 is cut through the pad along an arcuate line having its center at the intersection of the major axis of the pad and a line passing through the ends of the slit l2 between the transverse slit i2 and the arcuate slit I3 and parallel to the slit l2, the distance from that center to the transverse slit being slightly less than the length of the radius of the slit l3. As already mentioned, the slit i3 is substantially semi-circular. Its diameter is about equal in length to the length of the transverse slit [2 and its ends are spaced from the respective ends of the slit I2.

The slits l2 and l3 cooperate with each other to define an arcuate substantially semi-circular tab l4 and they cooperate with the pad I i to provide a relatively simple and inexpensive article of manufacture adapted to be used as a corn pad of novel structure shown best in Figs. 2, 3 and to 7 as will now be described.

To convert that article of manufacture into a novel corn pad, the tab I4 is folded along a transverse line substantially parallel to the slit I2 and passing through the ends of the arcuate slit I3 first outwardly from a face of the pad and then into parallel overlying relationship with the pad. In that position, the arcuate end of the tab I4 overlies the transverse slit I2 and upon such folding, the arcuate end of the tab is inserted in the transverse slit I2 and pulled therethrough to secure the tab in the position shown in Figs. 2, 3, 5 and 6. When the tab I4 is so arranged, the pad II is provided With a toe-receiving aperture I5 with a spacer portion I6 of double thickness or double layers of feltlike material adjacent one side of the aperture, and with another spacer portion I? at the opposite side of the aperture I5.

The novel corn pad is, in Fig. '7, shown in use for treating a corn I!) at the outer side of the small toe I9 of a human foot. For such use, or whether the corn is at the inner or outer side of any other toe, except the inner side of the great toe, the outer or forward end of the afilicted toe is inserted in the aperture 55 with the doublelayered spacer portion I6 extending laterally out Wardly from the afilicted side of the toe and with the spacer portion I'I extending laterally away from the opposite side of that toe. The pad I I is then pulled rearwardly along the toe toward its base or rear end until the pad has been thus moved beyond and rearwardly adjacent the corn I8. In that position, the portion of the pad adjacent the corn is folded along a line extending transversely of the pad, which I have indicated by the dotted line 2i in Fig} 2, to extend rearwardly from the corn along the afilicted side of the toe or, as the case may be, along the side of the foot, thus disposing the double-layered spacer portion 66 rearwardly adjacent the corn ES. The other spacer portion I? is folded-along a line transversely of the pad, which I have indicated by the dotted line 22 in Fig. 2, to extend forwardly along the inner or opposite side of the afliicted toe or, as the case may be, between it and, the adjacent toe.

If the corn be on the inner side of the great toe, the pad is moved to a position forwardly n:

adjacent the corn. The double-layered spacer portion If; in such a case is arranged between that and the adjacent toe and forwardly adjacent the corn, and the spacer portion I1 is folded rearwardly along the outer side of the great toe.

It will be understood that the novel corn pad provides not only the spacer portion I6 as means for protecting the corn from pressure or rubbing by such contacting surfaces as a shoe, indicated diagrammatically by broken lines 23 in Fig. '7, or as the case may be, an adjacent toe, but also the spacer portion 51 as means (a) for counteracting forces of deforming tendency exerted on the toe as a result of a corn-like growth and (b) for 4 shielding against corn inducing pressure or rubbing that portion of the opposite side of the aiilicted toe and the adjacent toe, if any, where another corn is likely to grow, during the treatment of the corn at the other side of the toe. The novel corn pad, as will also be understood from the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing, obviates the necessity of using an adhesive or bandage to hold it in place during treatment and neither covers nor surrounds the afflicted area, thus avoiding an increase in pressure due to the thickness of the covering portion employed in conventional pads, and uneven pressures Where the portion intended to surround the afilicted area is either too small or is applied or moves off-center.

While I have shown and described a structure that is illustrative of the invention, various changes in details thereof may be resorted to without departure from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. An article of manufacture adapted to'be used in the treatment of corns and comprising a substantially ovate pad of soft felt-like material having a slit therethrough bisected by and extending transversely of the major axis of the pad, and having a substantially semi-circular slit therethrough with its center on the major axis of the padand on aline extending in opposite directions from that axis through the ends of said semi-circular slit, parallel to the transverse slit, and spaced therefrom a distance less than the length of the radius of said semicircular slit.

2. A corn pad comprising a substantially ovate pad of soft felt-like material having a toereceiving aperture therein, having a doublelayered spacer portion adjacent one side of said aperture including a semi-circular tab integral with the pad along a diameter of the tab extending transversely of the major .axis of the pad, having a slit through the pad parallel to said diameter of said semi-circular tab, the semicircular end of said tab being removably held in the transverse slit to hold the tab in juxtaposed relationship with the pad, and having a spacer portion at the side of said aperture opposite said double-layered spacer portion, the first said spacer portion being adapted to be disposed adjacent one side of a corn and to extend therefrom along the toe in a direction away from the corn and the other said spacer portion being adapted to be disposed along the opposite side of the toe and to extend in a direction opposite from that of the first said spacer portion.

PHILIP R. BRACHMAN.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Hicks Jan. '26, 1937 Number 

